IPL 2025 Mega Auction: Top Players List, Teams Budget and Retained Players List

A fascinating Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 season concluded a few months ago with the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) becoming the champion for the third time, after a long gap of a decade, this time under the great leadership of Shreyas Iyer. With the IPL 2025 now a history, focus now shifts to the upcoming IPL 2025 season that is to be played from March-May 2025. But before the spectacle that is IPL 2025, it will be time for refreshing the squads with the IPL 2025 Mega Auction to be held later this year.

The excitement is already abuzz as the fans eagerly awaits the IPL 2025 Mega Auction. As per the rules of mega auction, every team is allowed to retain a certain limited number of players from previous season squad while the rest of the players will go into the auction pool. As of writing this, rumours say that every team will be allowed to retain 4 players from their 2024 IPL squad with the option to further retain 2 more players using the RTM (Right to Match) card, that allows a team to retain from IPL 2024 squad, who wasn’t in the orginal 4 retained players, with the market value. Before the IPL 2025 Mega Auction, let’s take a deeper look at some of the top players who might be in the auction, what will the team budget look like and how every IPL teams’ retained top 4 players and RTM options may look like.

IPL 2025 Mega Auction Top Players List

Some big names will be available in the IPL 2025 Mega Auction as teams are only allowed to retain 4 players. In that case that, all the IPL teams will have to let some of their star players leave. Now former Mumbai Indians captain Rohit Sharma could be the highlight of the pack, who is unlikely to remain with Mumbai. Rumours of Jasprit Bumrah, Suryakumar Yadav and Tilak Varma likely to leave Mumbai Indians is possibility with reports of all the names unhappy with management. Defending champions KKR might be forced to release star players like Phil Salt, Mitchell Starc. Mentioned below are some of the top players from world of cricket who might be available in IPL 2025 Mega Auction. Note that not all of the players mentioned below might not be available in Auction.

1. Rohit Sharma
2. Jasprit Bumrah
3. Suryakumar Yadav
4. Tilak Varma
5. Tim David
6. Gerald Coetzee
7. Faf Du Plessis
8. Glenn Maxwell
9. Cameron Green
10. Heinrich Klaasen
11. Umran Malik
12. Marco Jansen
13. Quinton de Kock
14. Jonny Bairstow
15. Sam Curran
16. Kagiso Rabada
17. Dhruv Jurel
18. Rovman Powell
19. Daryl Mitchell
20. Rachin Ravindra
21. Anrich Nortje
22. Kuldeep Yadav
23. Axar Patel
24. Shahrukh Khan
25. David Miller
26. Nitish Rana
27. Rahmanullah Gurbaz
28. Phil Salt
29. Mitchell Starc
30. Vaibhav Arora
31. Harshit Rana
32. Venkatesh Iyer

IPL 2025 Mega Auction Budget

Every teams are limited to a maximum salary limit they can spend in the IPL Auction. Last time, the maximum salary a team can spend in entire of the playing squad was 90 crore INR. However the limit is set to be increased ahead of the IPL 2025 Mega Auction. Reports suggests that every team would be alloted a maximum of 110 or 120 crore INR to build their squad in the IPL 2025 Mega Auction. However, not all the teams will start the Auction with the entire money and salary will be deducted for the four retained players ahead of the auction. There will be fixed salary for 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th retention and that amount will be deducted automatically from the full salary limit. However, incase a team decides to retained less than 4 or not retain anyone before mega auction, then those teams will have a higher purse available to them to buy players in the mega auction compare to the other teams who retain 4 players before mega auction.

IPL 2025 Mega Auction Retained Players List

As mentioned above, it is very much likely that every team would be allowed to retained a total of 4 players before the IPL 2025 Mega Auction and would be able to further retain 2 more players using the RTM system. However, it is not mandatory for any team to retain all 4 players before auction and teams could opt to retained less than 4 players or not retain anyone.

Mumbai Indians

Mumbai Indians might face struggle in retaining some of their star players with the likes of Rohit Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah, Suryakumar, Tilak Varma reportedly looking at the possibility of leaving.

Royal Challengers Bengaluru

Royal Challengers Bengaluru is still undecided on the future of Glenn Maxwell and captain Faf du Plessis. Virat Kohli is a sureshot retention.

Sunrisers Hyderabad

Sunrisers Hyderabad finds themselves in a bit of a dilemma as the team is likely to keep overseas duo of Travis Head and captain Pat Cummins and according to old retention policy, teams are not allowed to retain more than two overseas players, because of which the team might have to release Heinrich Klaasen.

Lucknow Super Kings

Despite rumours of KL Rahul set to leave the team, owner Sanjeev Goenka calmed things down in a recent press conference. Nicholas Pooran is also set to be retained and Australian Marcus Stoinis could be their 2nd overseas retention.

Punjab King

Punjab Kings is in desperate need of another rebuild as their rebuild every auction has failed to deliver them one trophy yet. Arshdeep Singh is the only sureshot retention in the team.

Rajasthan Royals

Rajasthan Royals missed out on making the IPL 2024 Final by whisker but they have a great squad and they would be looking to keep hold of most of the players.

Chennai Super Kings

Although the Chennai Super Kings failed to make it to the IPL 2024 playoffs, they have a great set to players they would love to hold onto.

Delhi Capitals

Gujarat Titans

Gujarat Titans failed to make it to the IPL playoffs this time under the leadership of new captain Shubman Gill and they have a great squad to build on.

Kolkata Knight Riders Will Took Build a Formidable Squad in IPL 2025 Mega Auction

Defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) were desparate to hold on their entire squad with their owner Shah Rukh Khan even suggesting retention limit upto 8 players. So it will be a tough decision for them.